Friday, February 6, 2015

I am a bit behind schedule this month in terms of new patterns and I believe this one will be my only pattern for February. We are doing a small renovation in the house and there are some birthdays to celebrate which means less sewing time.

I have been sketching messenger bag ideas for a very long time now. I get started on some ideas and then I see a very cool bag online and I get discouraged. It's all part of the creative process right?

But I finally settled on something and came up with this:

I don't have a "flowery" themed name yet but I have a lot of pictures and details! For the outside, I pieced together some dark grey faux leather and a beautiful Tula Pink print for the front of the flap. I added some piping to the flap - which I NEVER do - and I really like that special classy feel it gives the bag. I used my usual swivel clasp closure which I really prefer instead of a magnetic snap because I find the snaps less forgiving if your bag is empty/full.

This bag has a gusset. Meaning I didn't miter the corners on this one. It has a few more pieces to assemble but I think it will be easier to sew for those who don't have very powerful sewing machines because it means less bulky seams like you sometimes find at side seams. It also means the strap rings can be sewn like this:

And I know for some the bulk of straps at the ends on top of side seams is VERY tough for some machines.

As you can see, I used a heavy cotton webbing for the strap. I used to hesitate using webbing because it frays but once you figure out casings for strap ends (which I think are a great touch!), you end up with some durable and pretty straps. Not to mention a lot less time consuming than making your own straps!

Under the flap, I have 2 pen slip pockets and 2 smaller
slip pockets. The slip pockets are the perfect size for smart phones,
small notebooks.

Inside the bag I have the following:

A large padded, structure compartment for your iPad

1 zippered pocket for valuables

2 large slip pockets

And of course a large main compartment for notebooks, water bottles, etc. It will fit regular sheets of paper.

Measurements for the bag are:

Width: 12.5 inches
Height: 9.25 inches
Depth: just under 3 inches

I think this bag will be suitable for beginners with some sewing experience since nothing is very difficult. It will just be a longer project because of all the pockets to sew.